DWARF
by chocolatecheesecakes
Summary: The rules of SHIELD are rigid and are there to keep people alive, but Skye never did like rules. And she's willing to go out of the way to make Leopold Fitz the exception to them.


**So... Welcome to the first chapter of my first feature-length Skitz story! It won't stick entirely to the episodes, as I have no reference to them apart from Wikipedia and YouTube clips, and it'll probably become AU, but anyway!**

 **I would love it if you could review this chapter. In fact, please, PLEASE review. I want to know that the effort with all my cross-referencing and editing wasn't for nothing.**

 **I don't own AoS. That pleasure belongs to Joss Whedon, who is my god. Of course, thank you to him for letting me mess with his amazing characters.**

Chapter 1: The First Mission

"Happy birthday," the girl took a bite of her blue icing covered cupcake and swallowed. "To me."

Her fingers hovered above the keyboard of her laptop, hesitating for a split second before hitting the 'enter' key. That would keep the authorities off her van - a nice wild goose chase to capture an escaped penguin never went amiss.

Skye checked her watch, frowning when she saw the time. It hurt her brain to be checking the time this often, but the days always seems to pass by slowly when all she could do was tinker with her computer.

Still, it was much better than the alternative. Since she was rid of the orphanage, Skye's lifestyle had improved in ways she had previously dreamed unimaginable. Even her tiny, cramped van had more personal space than the room she had owned for seventeen years, shared with seven other girls.

The cake was good, as well. The woman in the cafe had given her a strange look when Skye explained, but with the look came that unwanted pity.

If she had grown up... Normally, would she had ever found her hacking? The Rising Tide, even?

Still, Skye knew that there was something else for her out there. But she was fine where she was, and had no immediate intention to pursue it at present.

The only immediate intention she had was to reach this man, Mike Peterson, and to find out exactly what was up with his maniac jump-and-rescue sequence. The email had been sent, and Skye was just waiting on the reply.

Just then, her email icon flashed up, accompanied by a burst of sound. Skye nearly jumped out of her skin, but she still clicked on the unopened envelope.

oOo

"This is so exciting!" Jemma grinned, as she helped her best friend and colleague Leo lift a box of heavy scientific equipment onto the plane. "Think of all the work we can do with this new lab!"

"I know!" Leo responded eagerly, dropping the box with a clatter. His smile dropped somewhat. "Well, we don't know what the rest of the team are like..."

"Agents Fitz and Simmonds," a voice came from behind them, and the pair turned abruptly. The man that had spoken their names was intimidating, to say the very least, but he didn't look angry. He stuck his hand out, after a moment's hesitation, and nodded. "I'm Grant Ward, Specialist and Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Jemma Simmonds," Jemma greeted, cutting off Leo, who had only just managed to open his mouth. "And this is my... My colleague, Leopold Fitz."

After the momentary sinking feeling once Jemma said 'colleague', Fitz smile again. "Just Fitz," he said quickly. "I don't like my first name much."

"I look forward to working with you both," apart from that curt remark, Agent Grant Ward seemed incapable of any other conversation, as proved by the way he disappeared into the main plans.

Jemma watched him go, and Leo resisted the urge to facepalm. He... Of course he was okay with Jemma being interested in oth- guys! Of course he was, naturally. He was just the best friend, no more and no less.

"He seems nice," Jemma said, keeping a straight face. "Very sociable."

"I know his type," Leo cut in swiftly- a little too quickly. "Not good, too narcissistic and self-absorbed."

"You don't have to worry about me," Jemma looked up again and grinned. "I'm older than I was, Fitz."

Fitz gave her a weak smile, and turned around, almost walking into their Senior Agent, Phil Coulson.

"Oh, I'm sorry Agent Coulson!" Jemma cut in, as Fitz glared at her. Was she ever going to let him talk for himself? "It's a pleasure to work with you, of course-"

"And you," Coulson nodded, but did no more than that. "I'm afraid we have no more time for introductions - we already have our first case."

Fitz and Jemma gave each other a glance.

"Get the last boxes onto the B.U.S.," Coulson instructed. "And don't touch Lola!"

"Excuse me, sir," Fitz said suddenly, thinking of something. "But who's flying the plane?"

Coulson gave both Agents a careful look. "Agent Melinda May."

"Agent May?" Fitz and Jemma chorused in shock, as Coulson walked away.

"I thought..." Jemma blinked, before shaking her head. "Do you think she'll be going on field missions?"

Fitz shrugged, his eyes still wide.

oOo

This wasn't on Skye's bucket list.

"Um..." she trailed off, as she leaned backwards from the man in black. "I'm not who you're looking for."

Looking back, that wasn't the best choice of phrase to say. By any means. Even if you were looking through rose glasses. The man wasn't impressed.

"Miss..."

"Skye, just Skye," Skye sighed. "I don't have a last name."

"Miss Skye, can you at least tell us who you were meeting?"

Skye shook her head, displaying her empty palms at the man. "How do I know that I can trust you?"

The man exhaled. "I can show you, if you come with me," he began to stand up. "Otherwise I will be forced to... Use other tactics."

Finally, Skye relented. "Okay," she sighed again. "I'll... I'll come with you."

oOo

Fitz was definitely enjoying the benefits of the B.U.S.'s scientific kit, just like Jemma had predicted. Within two hours, the pair had already settled in quite thoroughly, from the lab to the bunks.

Of course, being only Level 5 Agents, all information was currently on a need-to-know basis, and Coulson didn't think it necessary to inform them of the case.

"I wonder where Ward's going," Fitz wondered aloud, as they watched the Specialist depart in an S.U.V. He had managed to avoid giving the operative his proper title, especially after the gaze Jemma had given Ward's bum as he walked off the hangar.

"I'm sure Coulson will tell us when we need to know," Jemma said softly, smiling over at her best friend.

Only hours in, and already Jemma implicitly trusted Agent Coulson. Fitz didn't dwell on it - it was typical Jemma.

Still, no information came from above. Fitz grew more and more worried, and even Jemma looked a little doubtful.

However, that all changed as the S.U.V pulled back into the hangar. Fitz almost dropped his iPad, saved only by Jemma's reflexes to grab one end of the screen.

"Here we go..." Fitz murmured, as Ward climbed out of the S.U.V.

The two scientists watched in fascination as the Operative walked over to the passenger side door of the S.U.V. Ward seemed to flicker for a moment, like he himself was thinking of disobeying orders, but then...

The door opened, and a girl climbed out. Instantly, Fitz felt a pang of panic that even he himself couldn't explain. He gripped the workbench, and watched as the girl looked straight at him and Jemma.

She was pretty. Too pretty, it seemed, as Fitz's legs were now jelly and his heart was somewhere in the vicinity of his throat, like it had been when he had tried to ask Molly McGaben out when he was eleven.

The feeling didn't pass until the girl had walked safely past, and even then Fitz was left with trembling arms. What was wrong with him? She was only a girl, just like Jemma, just like his best... His best...

...friend. How could Fitz deal with this girl? He had trouble becoming friends with Jemma, but now there was another girl on the plane and she and Jemma might become friends and-

"Oh, crap," Fitz murmured, as he realised how confusing his own thoughts were to himself.


End file.
